There has been, in recent years, a lot of horse squeeze passed off as "science." Much of it doesn't adhere to the scientific method; either the people perpetrating the outpouring of what they claim is valid information don't follow certain basic rules, like making their raw data available or adapting their hypotheses to the data instead of seeking data to confirm their hypotheses.
Any scientific inquiry must follow the scientific method. The method has some basic practices that are essential to producing valid results; the process follows a cycle: An observation or question arises, research is planned, and a hypothesis is formed. The hypothesis is tested with experimentation. Data is examined, and conclusions are derived. If the conclusions contradict the hypothesis, the hypothesis is changed accordingly, and the cycle begins anew, until a body of confirmed evidence is substantial enough to form a scientific theory.
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order, titled "Restoring Gold Standard Science," that will codify this method. Here's the relevant nugget:
For the purposes of this order, Gold Standard Science means science conducted in a manner that is:
(i) reproducible;
(ii) transparent;
(iii) communicative of error and uncertainty;
(iv) collaborative and interdisciplinary;
(v) skeptical of its findings and assumptions;
(vi) structured for falsifiability of hypotheses;
(vii) subject to unbiased peer review;
(viii) accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and
(ix) without conflicts of interest.
Watts Up With That scribe Charles Rotter notes:
This is a return to foundational scientific principles—those that foster discovery, innovation, and trust.
The issuance of this executive order signals a new chapter for American science—one grounded in accountability, transparency, and excellence. It is a strong affirmation that public institutions must earn the public’s trust by holding themselves to the highest standards.
With this action, the United States reasserts itself as a leader not just in scientific capability, but in scientific integrity. The Gold Standard is more than a label. It is now the law.
This won't end the parade of activism masquerading as scientific inquiry. But it will, at least, stop the federal government's subsidy of it.
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A big part of the problem is that much of our education system doesn't do a very good job of teaching what science is - a tool - or how the scientific method is supposed to work. Too many young skulls full of mush don't understand the reasons why raw data must be made available, or why working backwards from a conclusion isn't just bad science, it's not science at all. Too many don't understand the meaning of the word "theory" as it's used in the scientific method; Isaac Asimov once noted that in the common vernacular, the word "theory" may as well be used to mean "something you dreamed up after being drunk all weekend." A scientific theory, on the other hand, has withstood vigorous examination and scrutiny and has been repeatedly and reliably confirmed by independent researchers.
We just aren't doing a very good job of teaching how science is supposed to be applied to examine data and draw conclusions. That's why charlatans can pass off corral litter like denying the fundamental unfairness of allowing boys to play on girls' sports teams, or why we question the conclusions of climate scolds when those conclusions are based on data that we aren't allowed to examine. We aren't teaching healthy skepticism, and scientific inquiry depends on healthy skepticism: All conclusions are subject to question and to revision based on new data.
Climate activists and transgender activists are alike in ignoring this principle; all of their claims are based on cherry-picked data, when they release their data at all.
Here's the thing: Science is a tool, a method of examining a body of facts and determining, through examination of evidence and experiments, a theory that explains the observations. Almost nobody in government is an actual scientist. Too many of the federal and state employees who claim to be scientists are much more bureaucrats than anything else. These people work backwards from conclusions to support agendas. That's not science; that's careerism at best, and social activism in the pursuit of power at the worst.
With any luck, the president's executive order will, at least, stop the spending of taxpayer money on pseudoscientific hooraw. But the purveyors of intellectual night soil will still be around; after all, they still have academia to rely on.
